Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by unclederby:

This is poured into my piraat tulip. A nice frothy, once finger cap sits atop a darker amber colored ale... and patches of carbonation cling to the inside of the glass. Smells like a really nice quad; belgian candy sugar, molasses, vanilla and raisin compote. A bit like apple/pear too...
Taste is much the same, with a bit of sour on the finish. Overall, kind of dry in the taste for all of the sugar activity in the nose. Mouthfeel is on the full side, with lots of viscocity. Heavily carbonated, which is filling...
The bottle says this is 7.5 ABV but i think it's closer to the 9 listed on this site. Pretty heady stuff, really. I'm a bit surprised, but i like this beer.

More User Reviews:

Appearance - This is a dark but not overly-thick brown in color with a lacing head.

Smell - The malts here are very rich, and I can pick up some bock-like molasses. The yeast is a bit more subtle but comes out nicely as the ale warms. The sugars are mild and dark, but it's the rich, buttery nature of the malt base that stands out.

Taste - This is equally big in the mouth. The stern molasses doesn't let up at the taste, and the sugars fail to cut its flavor by design I'm sure. This is not a sweet or overly yeasty BSDA. It really is more like some sort of Belgian bock than a strong dark ale, though it has components of both.

Mouthfeel - This is full-bodied with excellent carbonation and a bitter kick in the pants from that unsulphored molasses component.

Drinkability - This was a good drinker if a bit more raw than others of the Urthel line. I really enjoyed the experience and would definitely recommend. I think the real Belgian beer aficionados will appreciate the unique flavor of this ale.

Shared a 750 with a buddy. Amber color and a huge frothy white head in the oversized wine glass. Looks good in the glass. Smells of toffee and yeast. Taste was complex-with the toffee there, the yeast giving an earthy taste, there's a little citrus on the back end, and mild fruit flavors. Very complex interesting taste. Kind of thin in the mouth but nice and carbonated. I could drink a fair amount of this in a night.

A 750ml bottle with the date 15/03/08 stamped on the label, poured into a tulip glass. Pretty chestnut color with some red highlights. Thick tan head. A dark fruit, malty aroma. Pretty malty taste, with the dark fruit background. This was a very enjoyable beer. I paid $4.99 for the bottle, and thought that was a steal.

Caged and corked large Belgian style bomber, no freshness info offered. Dark mahogany brown, dark tan head, long lasting and creamy, leaves well developed splotchy and stringy lacing. Mild malty nose with a hint of raisins and ripe fruit. Easy drinking Belgian. Flavorful with notes of more raisins, figs and a melange of ripe fruit, Some yeasty undertones, smooth dark malts. Quite yummy and highly drinkable. User friendly and newbie friendly dark Belgian offering. I liked it and would def. pick up more if I could find it regularly locally.

The beer pours a hazy brown color with a tan head. The aroma is brown sugar, alcohol and dark fruits. I also get some toffee from the malt. The flavor is heavy on the Belgian yeast, brown sugar, darker fruits, toffee, earthy hops and a little bit of alcohol. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

I wasn't impressed with this brew. I figured it wouldn't be in the traditional German-bock style and was correct. It turns out this is an OK dark-ish Belgian ale...which I had assumed would be the case. Still, there's not much for me to appreciate in this brew. It just seemed so pedestrian in flavor.

On tap's at Monk's in Philly. The beer was poured into a great Urthel glass. The bock poured a hazy brown / amber color with a medium tanish head. The aroma is sweet malty goodness. There are some fruit hints in the aroma and a nice toasted toffee smell. Very enjoyable. The taste is toasted and sweet and hides the high abv very well although there is a bit after every sip which rounds this beer out very well. This beer has a medium or slighty heavy body but is very drinkable despite the high abv.

This beer was shockingly sourish, almost like a Flemish, with a secondary bock sweetness. It worked, whether its intended or not. It was not long in my cellar. Poured a dark red, aroma was a bit like a flemish. Some rich spice, and it did not freeze the tongue. I finished the bomber.

11.2oz bottle poured into a tulip glass. Pours a dark brown color with lively carbonation producing a massive light tan head. The aroma is malty and slightly tart with dark fruits and a touch of yeast. The taste is malty with a touch of coffee and a nice lingering dry and bitter finish. Mouthfeel is light bodied and prickly from the carbonation. Overall, this is a really nice brew that I would definitely purchase again. This is the second beer I have had from this brewery and they have both been very good.

Picked up a 33cl bottle for $4 at Abe's Cold Beer. ABV on bottle says 7.5%. I sort of agree with both of the previous reviews. The taste does come off a little flat, but if you let it sit on your tongue it slowly expands. I mean, I don't know why the label calls this a "flamy dark ale." Nothing else reminds me of flames or smoke. Anyways, what I do taste is mellow caramel with subtle raisin and date notes. There's a hint of the typical earthy bock roast, but there's no dry bite. The beer rather very balanced, with a slight lean toward the sweet end of the spectrum. Worth a try.

750 ml brown bottle with coded freshness date that I could not interpret.

Pours clear dark chestnut with large inch high but very filmy head that quickly goes away. Smell is malty, sweet / sour and winey. Medicinal alcohol, strong plum and prune notes, and anise are primary in the nose. The flavor is less overtly fruity. Chalky cocoa, oak, and carob powder at the start. Carmelized cherries and medicinal prune notes in the finish with significant off-putting alcohol burn for the weight. Medium body displays good balance; more creamy than carbonated. pretty nice in the end, though the flavor is a little thin in places and the boozy sting too strong.

Ok, first off, be careful opening this thing! Like some others mentioned, the cork popped out while I was untwisting the cage....haven't been that scared by a cork since opening my first champagne bottle!

Very foamy beer, a couple of inches of tan head with each pour. Carbonation was very prominate in the taste (not suprising). Decent, dark burgundy color. Aroma was a little sweet, but nothing special. Taste was likewise a little sweet, with cherry-like fruitiness and a hint of sour (but a good sour). Mouthfeel was quite pleasant. Very easy drinking beer, and recommended. Not if you're wanting a classic bock though. I actually want to see if I can pick up another bottle of this one.

D: This is quite different from anything I've encountered. The carbonation issues seem to point to incorrect storage by someone. The bottom half centimeter of the cork was soaked, so it appears to have been kept on its side for a long period of time.

A: Poured a lovely dark chestnut brown (dark mahogany when held up to the light) with a billowy creamy tan head.

S: a big roasted malt and caramel that was sweet and dry with some dried fruit and chocolate.

T: Very prominent sweet malt flavor upfront. Malty lacing with a dark rich toffee and chocolate flavor. Dark malt and dried molasses with dried fruit (rum raisin) and dried tart cherries were also present. There was a nice alcohol warming in the finish as well toffee and some spicy hops.

M: A light-medium mouthful that was smooth and creamy with moderate carbonation.

D: Dark and very rich malt backbone makes this a great example for this style. Very good drinkability and a pleasure to consume.

I was rather disappointed in this one. Fine appearance, dark brown with reddish highlights with a moderate head. Roasted malt and fruity notes in the nose. The taste was the disappointment for me. The fusion of the belgian yeast strain and the dark malts didn't add up for me. There was a hint of sourness which I found unpleasant. Overall, fairly thin for a beer that I expected to be stronger and more robust. I made it through the bottle, but I certainly did not want any more.

I don't know if it's just my tastebuds changing, but I've been dragged down lately by over-the-top malted bocks. So, this one really satisfied my craving for something different. Beautiful amber color, complex head, downhome caramel malts, and a brilliant balance of hops make this beer very appealing. The mouthfeel is quite refreshing with those smooth malts being peppered by the hop bitterness.

Pours a dark amber color. Has about half an inch of head that maintains. Smells of blackberries.
Nice smooth malt character. Hints of chocolate, but does not overpower. A berry flavor is also present at the back end of the drink. This beer is quite light in body compared to traditonal bocks. The alcohol content is very hidden. I could find myself getting in trouble with this.